Angel of Chaos
by CobaltDragon
Summary: When an Angel of Anemos visits Vale, events are set in motion that will drive one person to insanity and return Felix and his group to the land that spawned them all... Read and Review, please!
1. New Worlds

_This is my Second Attempt at a GS Fanfic, the previous being an utterfailure. But me and my muse(s) got together and started hammering away at it with Monkies, and came up with an excellent rewrite (with a relatively new plot)._

**_I don't own Golden Sun. If you don't know that you should probably be dead. And this would be a game, not a story._**

_And a shout out to **Sunruner, **a fellow author and muse, for her help and stuff. Without her this story would likely not exist. We think._

_**Sunny: **bows Thank you, thank you._

* * *

**Angel Of Chaos**

_By CobaltDragon _

**Chapter 1: New Worlds**

"From saving the world to delivering party favours," moaned Felix to Piers as he spun the wheel to starboard, "Our work is never done."

Piers nodded in agreement as his ship skimmed over the forest, shifting his weight from foot to foot in an anxious dance.

"Yeah, but it's for the Festival of Lights, and even Lemurians tell tales of it, or at least in our more active moments we do. Besides, you'd be dying of boredom back in Vale if you hadn't come!"

Felix shrugged, swerving the ship to miss a tall tree and sending the ship into a quick ascent to dodge the subsequent birdy goodness that spewed forth from the branches. Rain pelted downwards from the ominous night sky, and Piers was privately enjoying the fresh feeling it instilled upon him.

The ship was quickly returned to its original heading, darting towards the lights of Vale.

"That little gravestone for Karst was nice…" Piers noted, his mind alert for any threat to his precious ship.

"I keep telling you Piers, she's not dead! My parents survived, so why wouldn't she?" Felix said, his voice considerably louder than he had meant. "I'm sorry. It _was_ nice of Puelle to provide that reminder."

"Felix, I agreed with you. I'm a healer more than a warrior and I could swear somebody like Karst wouldn't succumb to that. But remember what Kraden said about dragons; it takes a tremendous amount of energy to transform like that, and she wasn't as close to the beacon as we were."

"Piers," Felix replied, "It's not just that any more. I keep seeing her, like in dreams and stuff, and in Prox when we picked up those kegs of ale I swear that I could sense her presence somewhere in the wasteland."

There was little conversation as Felix guided the airship down into Aleph River, pulling it into the port they'd built. Piers and Felix continued discussing the matter as they assisted some of the Valemen in loading assorted barrels and cases onto carts.

"Tell you what," Piers said, "Let's take Kraden and your parents and go for a trip to Prox!"

Felix nodded, and then fell quiet as they followed the caravan of supplies down a well-worn dirt road. After they finished the delivery, he and Piers stopped at the Inn for a late-night dinner. Jenna was working behind the counter, earning a few gold pieces for reasons Felix had been unable to weasel out of her. It was definitely a much more sedate way of earning gold than usual for Jenna.

"Beef Stew, on the house," Jenna said as she slid a pair of wooden bowls in front of them, "Enjoy boys."

The two adepts dug in hungrily, the steaming brown gravy flowing freely over the mashed potatoes. After a while Jenna sat down beside them and ate a little bit of stew, talking to the pair about their journey. Eventually she got up to tend to a few late arrivals, allowing Felix and Piers to slip off and head to their respective houses to sleep.

* * *

_It was dark. His bunk was shifting and rolling slightly, and a raw scent pervaded the dim room. Slowly his eyes were adjusting to the light, the only source of which was a small candle hanging from a wall bracket. After a moment, Felix stood, but quickly took a seat on the hard mattress as the floor shifted._

_He put his head in his hands and waited for the dizziness to subside, but to his chagrin it did not. The ache in his head slowly stopped its insistent pulsing, allowing him to think clearly._

"_Okay Felix, think. Rocking floor, salty smell… Ship! I'm on the- but how? What the hell is happening?"_

_The last thing he remembered was falling into the river and calling for help. It had been a loose rock, he remembered, coming back from retrieving something stupid off of the deck. He'd been confident and sure one moment, and hanging on for dear life the next._

"_Good morning sleepyhead!"_

_Felix looked up as a girl with red hair strode into the cabin. He blushed and covered himself with a blanket as he realized that he was not clothed._

"_Don't worry silly, I won't look! I just came to see if you were awake. Your clothes are over there, on that stool. We had to dry 'em out pretty good, but they should be fine now. If you need me, my cabin is down the hall."_

_She turned to leave, but Felix stopped her._

"_Wait… Um… What's your name?"_

"_Oh, me? I'm Karst," She gave him a reassuring smile. "Who're you?"_

"_Felix. My name is Felix."_

"_Alright then."_

_Karst turned and left, shutting the door._

"_By Gods Saturos, give a girl some room!"_

_He sized her up, and dismissed her comment; speaking gruffly._

"_Whatever Karst. Learn anything?"_

"_Kid's awake. Says his name's Felix."_

"_Felix huh? Give Felix some time, then introduce him to his situation."_

"_You're the boss," she said, nudging him aside, "Or the boss's whipped boyfriend, whatever you think."_

_He smiled, passing off the insult. "Damn lucky Menardi's your sister. I've killed for less than that."_

"_Oh yeah?" Karst asked, turning, "That must've been a pretty big glass of ale."_

_Saturos flinched._

"_You've got your sister's wit. Now get on deck and relieve the Navigator."_

_Felix listened to the exchange, his curiosity roaring like a caged lion. He pondered the possible situations he could be in, extremely worried that he was in danger, dead, or both. Only the feel of his clothing convinced him that it wasn't the boat to hell, as if that was proof enough. As he pulled his shirt on, he noticed a large bruise on his arm that had been only lightly treated with a balm. He pressed his right hand lightly to the injury and relaxed as an earthy warmth spread through his body._

_After a moment the bruise disappeared and his vested interest in self-preservation had been sated. He leaned back against the wall and let the rocking of the ship soothe his tumultuous soul. After a while he stood again and steadied himself on the deck, having decided to talk to Karst. Her cabin was deserted, and he was stumped until he remembered that she was up on deck. He began to climb the increasingly slick wooden steps to the cold overworld above.

* * *

_

Jenna sat by the streambank far from Vale, passing a small woven bracelet around her nimble fingers. The sun was merrily shining into the green clearing, and the Masamune was glittering beside her. There were teardrops evident on the radiant blade, the indented carving of two dragons near the hilt glowing.

It was cold here, near the mountains, and even Jenna's natural warmth didn't seem to be heating her for some reason. Birds were fluttering about lightly as she let another tear roll down her cheek.

A lonely flower was wilting slowly beside the running stream. Jenna plucked it from amongst the blades of grass, as if to follow a time-honored tradition of "loves me-loves me not"; but then reconsidered and lightly placed it inside her vest.

She finally decided that she didn't feel cold, and rather was beginning to get warm in her armor. Jenna stripped to her silk undergarments and stepped into the stream, rippling the crystal surface as she dove in. The water around her warmed slightly, even in the swift stream.

The pure water washed away her tears and gently reminded her that she was here for a reason. It was painful to imagine the nights she, Isaac, and Garet had spent on this very shore. Laughing, sharing, competing. Nestled so close to Isaac…

Last time they had been here Garet had been held up and couldn't come. They had come so close, so very, very…

Jenna had always heard stories of the kiss from the older girls. _The_ kiss. The one so perfect it hurt. It had certainly been more than a mere brush on the lips or cheek they had shared before. Then a week later she had been torn from him, taken from Isaac like nothing but a teddy bear.

But the next time she saw him, the girl Mia had been with him like some sort of replacement, like a well-dressed harem girl.

But it didn't hurt. Wasn't it supposed to hurt? Like a knife to the heart, the older girls had said. Before she'd been sure that they would wed, but now? She had reached a conclusion more frightening than painful.

_She was falling out of love with Isaac_.

Sheba had read his mind once they'd teamed up in Contigo, and all the while he slept with the blue concubine in his arms.

As far as either of them could tell the couple had not shared beds, but Jenna was amazed to find that he now only viewed her with a more brotherly love than any.

Jenna fluttered through the stream, her long auburn hair flowing behind her toned body like a candle in the wind. She had grown taller, now an even 5'11", and she was extremely fit. It wasn't like she couldn't find a man, but just that she had no desire to. She was Eighteen now, and her mother had spent a great deal of time upon her return trying to get her to wed somebody.

Once she tired of frolicking in the water Jenna pulled herself out and stretched out like a cat; sensuous and beautiful, laying on the grass to dry.

* * *

"Felix, wake up."

Felix slammed a down pillow over his head.

"Not now; good dream, good dream, _good DREAM_!"

Somebody, whom Felix could only assume was Piers, was standing silently by his bed. He cracked his eye open and snuck a peek. Yep, Piers.

"I warned you."

Felix ignored him and tried to recall his dream, his eyes tightly shut. For some reason he'd been dreaming of his past, when he'd first met Karst. Except his mind kept tacking on dirty endings, a detail Felix found kind of embarrassing.

"Seriously Felix, last chance."

Wet. Grade 'A' psynergy.

"Dammit Piers!"

"Hey," responded the Mercury adept, "I warned you."

"Whatever. Since I'm up, why don't you explain what was so pressing?"

"Well, it's past noon and almost time for the Festival of Lights."

Felix shot up and began pulling on clothing.

"Oh man oh man oh man – can you hand me those boots – I promised I'd help Jenna cook her – if you could hand me those … thanks – stew for the feast and she's gonna be sooo pissed – and the sword – shitshitshitshitshit!"

Piers shrugged. "Not really. Garet went to find her for the festival and-"

"_Find_ her?"

"Yeah, she wandered off," Piers glared, "and anyway, Garet went to find her and found her lounging half-naked by the river. Poor kid's gone and barricaded himself in his room and won't come out until you promise not to kill him. Neither he nor Jenna seemed to concerned about anything but you giving them both a severe asswhooping…"

He looked at Felix sideways.

"Dude, you ran one tyrannical ship around here."

Felix finally removed his boot from his left hand and slipped it on, cackling.

"Yeah, keeps the kids on their toes. Let Garet know that he's been shown mercy today, and I'll talk to Jenna."

"Roger, _mein fuhrer_."

Felix punched Piers on the arm good-naturedly.

"I don't care what that means, don't say it again."

"Fine then. I'll go tell Garet. Talk to you later!"

Piers strode out of the room, closing the front door quietly as he left. Felix stood up and did a quick check. Everything was in order, so he wandered down the hallway to Jenna's room. Lightly he knocked on the oaken barrier.

"AUGH IT'S SATAN COME FOR MY SOUL!"

"Haha, very funny sis. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to kill you or Garet for your perceived sins… this time. Oh, and if you decide to come out from your shell, I'll be downstairs preparing _your_ contribution to the feast."

Jenna's door cracked open slightly.

"Hmm… no drawn steel, this is good."

The door opened further.

"No evil demons ready to wrench my soul from my body."

Before she could say more, Felix grabbed her by the sleeve and drug her downstairs. They quickly set about cooking Jenna's patented Beef Stew, which had become a local favorite. Over the course of the preparation several townsfolk stopped by to admire the rich smell of Jenna's cooking and talk to Felix about the finalizing of the Festival plans.

Finally the sun began its decent from the sky and the town began to come together for the Festival of Lights.


	2. The Festival of Lights

_Chapter 2 is finally here! Break out the Champagne and party!_

_**Sunruner: **Haha! You're under age! Mwahahahaha!_

_-Is very painfully injured in the head with a stick-_

_Anyhoo, YAY for Chapter 2!_

_**Flint: **Yeah, but it's short and boring._

_Shut up!_

_It IS a little shorter than I'd hoped, but if you don't like it there are some lemons that need sucking. I'll try and post other chapters faster now, but I have a LOT going on._

_**Flint:** o-o you did a lot of naughty bad things in this chapter_

_It's what I get for listening to music while writing; besides, I'm still not settled on a rating, so it may go up in the future. Lalalalala I can't heeear you! _

_**I don't own Golden Sun. I'd like to though. "Hint HINT Camelot!"**_

_(Also, Sunruner's opinions may not actually reflect those of her Muse counterpart. In fact, if you ask her she will deny any association with the Muse at risk of prodding. I think.)

* * *

**REVIEW(S)** _

_**Dinny**- Glad you like it so much! Very glad! Ecstatic! Indeed, I enjoy writing, and I make every effort to make sure people enjoy reading what I write. After all, if they didn't I'd just be wasting my time, right?_

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Festival of Lights**

Garet slammed his glass down onto the table, cracking it in his victory.

"Done!"

Isaac slowly lowered his mug, sputtering ale and coughing.

"But- how?"

Jenna walked up behind Garet and put a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Isaac, don't you know that the Brain," -at this she poked Garet's head- "controls the senses?"

"OH, so what you're saying is-"

Garet cut off Isaac's revolutionary thoughts, saying, "You people don't know me! I'm like the _master_ of drinking stuff! _Oh, _and _EATING_, boy I LOVE to eat!"

"Garet you're drunk."

"Yeah, and I'm also the Djinni of something too! But what do you know, you stupid Mars adept you..."

Jenna looked helplessly at Isaac, who was most assuredly NOT a Mars adept. He shrugged, then leaned back into his oaken chair to watch as Garet valiantly attempted to stand up.

Isaac hadn't really wanted to enter the Drinking Contest, preferring to keep his wits about him on nights such as this. Ever since his return from the journey, somebody had marked him as Vale's sexiest hunk of man; and now he was constantly fending off women hoping to catch him off guard.

But Garet had slowly been gaining a form of charisma that made him pretty hard to refuse, so Isaac had consigned himself to burning his throat raw with the bubbly Nut Ale that was so popular in Vale. Garet, however, did not appear to be easily daunted by personal injury, a fact that Isaac didn't really find too surprising.

Garet finally succeeded in standing up, and nearly ran into the Mayor as he wandered off to locate Mia; the one person that he was hoping could sober him up.

"Young Garet gone and got himself drunk again, has he?" the Mayor asked as he sat down.

"Yeah," Isaac responded, a light and rare smile playing across his lips, "but he won the Drinking Contest, so he'll be happy after somebody revives him..."

Garet was only a few feet away, alternately putting the moves on a tree and begging Mia to cast Restore on him. Unfortunately, Mia had drunk a fair bit of Berry Wine and was now giggling far to much to be of any use. She was roaring with laughter as she froze Garet's left hand to the tree, and finally stopped laughing long enough to stumble away and search for Piers.

The Mayor was quite amused by the whole affair, Isaac had planted his head firmly into his hands, and Jenna was on the ground in stitches.

Garet, however, had not been happy with the whole affair. He'd been sobered considerably by the ice which had trapped his hand, but not so much so that he could remember he was a Mars adept and should have freed himself easily.

* * *

Felix sat on the roof of his house, one of the few in Vale that was not thatched, but rather wood. Several of the villagers had adopted the wisdom of this choice, because while it was a substantially larger initial investment, it cost less to repair after a heavy snowfall.

He was alone, as always, watching as the dazzling display of colours writhed and shone across the darkened skies. Purple, blue, green, yellow, and colours that he wasn't even sure had names. It was a celestial dance that rivalled anything caused by Alchemy; or so Felix would believe, not having seen Alchemy unleashed for himself.

But even Kraden, old as he was, agreed that the Festival of Lights was probably more impressive than any man-made magic. Isaac had pointed out, however, that judging by the sketches in old books would be a bad way to make that decision.

Something caught Felix's eye, causing him to sit up in alarm. Weyard's lone moon was hovering high above the colours, fading in and out with the rhythm of the light. After a moment there was a flash of blue, and the moon again appeared; stable.

Felix lay back, confused.

"Colourscolourscolourscolourscolourscolours!"

A Venus djinni, Granite, hopped up onto the roof and sat himself down firmly on Felix's chest.

"Felix watching colours?"

"Yeah Granite, I am." Felix replied, smiling at Granite's limited speech, something that set the little guy apart from the others.

"Felix sad?"

"Nah, just confused."

The little djinni put on a mask of bravado.

"You tell Granite, he help!"

Felix picked the Venus djinn up and put him onto the roof, sitting up.

"It's alright Granite-"

Before he could finish, Granite gave a loud whistle.

"DJINNI TACKLE!"

Almost as one, 72 djinni tackled Felix and drove him onto his back. He tried to wrestle himself free, but they'd successfully mobbed him.

Since their return to Vale, the djinn had started tackling people who needed a boost, a sweet gesture that had, aside from the injuries, increased town morale.

Felix finally managed to wrench himself free, and settled down on the roof to keep watching.

* * *

The prisoner sat in her cell, alone and bruised. She dared not to use Psynergy to repair her injuries for fear of attracting her captors. The eternal night sky above her sparkled with stars, and her battered face was brightly illuminated by the dancing lights below.

She shrunk into a corner as one of the guards strode past, his leering face peering into the cell for only the slightest of moments. Her heart jumped as somebody stopped the patrolling man just outside her cell.

"Is the girl still inside?"

"Yes ma'am, Shira is still there. She's still-"

"Quiet you fool, she's probably listening in right now!"

"Sorry m'lady."

"It isn't a problem Hadien; after all, that's why you're a guard and I'm not."

Shira could practically _hear_ the man bow.

"Very good m'lady."

"How are her wounds healing?"

"How should I know?"

"Don't piss me off Hadien!" raged the lady, slamming the poor guard against the stone wall, "_You're_ the clairvoyant, you tell _me_!"

Hadien sighed, or gasped; Shira couldn't tell.

"Fine." he finally answered in resignation, adjusting his armour, "Her bodily wounds are progressing well, only the larger bruises remain. But her soul is carrying a dark shadow with it, almost like she wishes for death..."

"Ha! I know Shira well. She wouldn't be _that_ weak!"

Shira's hand was shaking, begging for a blade with which to wreak her revenge on her sister. If only...

"She hears you m'lady..."

There was a strong sneer to the reply.

"Oh, _I know_. It's a pity really." the voice waved away Hadien in dismissal. "Feel free to do with her what you will tonight, she deserves it."

Shira's insides heaved sharply at the mention of Hadien's cruelties. She could still sense the unclean feeling deep in her soul, regardless of how much they let her shower and bathe. Rapist bastard...

She flung herself at the barred door.

"What about the girl? Come back you bitch! What are you going to do about the girl!"

Hadien waved his spear at her.

"Quiet now your highness, you'll wake the other guards..."

* * *

Ivan was tremendously happy, leading Sheba about the town hanging from his arm, eyes wide.

"Oooooh... Ivan, I've never seen anything like this!"

They sampled foods, drinks, contests. Sheba had proved to be quite the arm at archery, beating out all but a slightly drunken Isaac, who fluked enormously on his final shot.

The two friends finally retired to a small ledge near the edge of the party. Sheba's heart felt tight in her chest as she held Ivan's hand, desperately trying to control her urge to kiss him. She was 15 years old now, the age at which girls in Lalivero were traditionally married. But now she was in a world with different rules now, or so it felt, and she wasn't sure what she should do.

"Hey Sheba do you want to-"

They turned to face each other, but Ivan stopped speaking once he saw the glint in her eye. She smiled shyly at him, and suddenly their lips were embracing. He ran his hand through her hair, and she shuddered happily. Sheba noticed how smooth Ivan's hands were, how _right_ it felt to be sitting there. She could almost feel a fresh breeze moving over her body, and wondered if Ivan felt the same thing.

There was a disturbance down at the party quite suddenly, and the two broke apart. Ivan heard a scream, and jumped down from the ledge with cat-like dexterity. He deftly caught Sheba as she slipped down after him, and the two dashed out into the town square.

An angel.

Decked out in full battle dress, a glowing crystalline sword and shield strapped to its- his- back. He surveyed the crowd, unaware of the unearthly glow he cast across the town. Far above, the lights had reached a fevered pitch.

When he spoke, it sounded like a thousand souls were talking right along with him.

"Child of Anemos..."


	3. Walk The Skies Once More

_Long time no write_

_**:Flint: You're telling ME**_

_Shut up Flint._

_Anyways, new chapter. More updates will follow, since I finished the project at Fictionpress that was bogging me down. I really like where this story is headed, and the next few chapters will hopefully be as fun to read as they were/are to write._

_So enjoy this chapter. I'll be updating again soon._

_**:Flint: Yeah right... :is smacked:**  
_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3: Walk The Skies Once More**

Sheba froze.

"Anemos?"

"Yesssssssssss… Anemos…"

"You… but Ivan is from Contigo, not me!"

"No, child. Anemos." With this the Angel pointed a gauntlet finger at the moon hovering above the epileptic lights. "We still exist. When Alchemy was sealed our city pooled our powers and rose above this failing earth. But now, with Alchemy's return our angels walk the skies once more…"

The angel's voice faded with a hiss.

Sheba turned to Ivan.

"I- I have a home. And… a history…"

Ivan pulled her tight and looked at the angel, shouting loudly.

"Does she have a family there, in Anemos?"

"Yes, Contigan, she does. But there is much wrong in Anemos and she must come with me to reconcile."

"Reconcile?"

"Yesssss… The royal family is in disarray and we of the Archangelica believe that she could help."

"Can I- come?"

"No Contigan, this is something she must do alone."

Ivan felt very small, under the shadow of this seven-foot angel. He'd always been small, sure, but even Garet hadn't diminished him like this.

"Come with me… Sheba…"

Sheba kissed Ivan heavily, then stepped forward tentatively into the bathing light of the angel. A beam of light arced towards the sky and they levitated upwards. Sheba gasped for a mere moment, but then closed her eyes and likened the feeling to using Cyclone in the Jupiter Lighthouse.

"Ignis, Terra, Ventus, Aqua!" the angel commanded.

Just before Sheba and the angel could leave, Ivan flung himself towards the light. He fell short and tripped, leaving him reaching desperately into the rising shaft of light, hoping for salvation.

"Dear GODS why!" Ivan cried, tears streaming down his face, "WHYYYYYY!"

Before he could stand up, Garet flung himself from out of the crowd- sword on his back- and dove into the light. He followed the angel and Sheba up the lightshaft as it faded from the ground, yelling to the crowd.

"Don't worry Ivan I'll take care of her!"

"Gods Garet, wash your face and be courteous!"

"Yes mom!"

The shaft of light disappeared, but for some reason the flashing skies did not stop.

* * *

"For the last time Isaac, will you marry me YES OR NO?"

Isaac wheeled on his pursuer, a one Maris Tairfield. She was by even the most lax of standards, the hottest of the hot. Her well-formed breasts were always tastefully displayed, along with basically every curve on her body- but not so much so that nothing got left to the imagination. She had flowing dark hair, tinted green, and wide brown eyes that combined with her earthy clothes to make her look like a dryad.

An irony of course, since she was prominently a Fire adept.

"Maris. I'm just not interested in you, maybe you should take the hint. It's not a real hard one. Besides, you do realize that we only happened ONCE. Now you want to marry me?"

"Isaac honey, you've saved the world! You deserve the best that Vale has to offer! Besides, I'm smart, I'm beautiful, and I don't like to brag, but-"

Isaac snorted.

"BUT I've gotten lessons on sex from Tolbi. The best. I know all the latest positions, styles and such."

"Maris, I'm the last person to turn down a beautiful woman."

It was Maris' turn to snort.

"Really! But I'm just not interested in you. For three years you've viewed me as nothing but property and it needs to stop. Go find another man Maris."

She turned on her heels in a huff and stalked off to find another man who would be willing to tease her hips like Isaac could have. And had, once.

"That was mighty big of you Isaac," Felix laughed, dropping down from his roof, "Before the storm I almost sold my soul to bed her. Hell, I'm not sure I could resist her even now."

"Really?" Maris asked, poking her head around the wall of Felix's house.

"No. Go butter up somebody else."

She left, pouting.

Felix waited until she was definitely gone, then turned to Isaac.

"So you saw what happened?"

"Yeah. What do we do?"

"We go after them!"

"That's a great idea," Isaac responded sarcastically, "How? The laws of Vale specifically forbid us from getting involved in external affairs, so that whole thing with the angel kind of set that one down. Oh, and we also can't leave Vale without permission.."

"There's a loophole. Since Sheba is with them we've done two things. First, we've violated the law so there's no sense in stopping now. Two, we got Garet involved- that means it's no longer an 'external affair'. We're not only cleared to continue, but required!"

"Fine. But how do we get out without getting blacklisted by the Mayor?"

"Remember that trip to Prox we were planning?" Felix asked Isaac, who nodded, "We just go ahead with the plans anyway!"

Isaac frowned.

"Where do we go from there? We need a way up to Anemos!"

"Think about it. We have the two things we need to get in."

"And those are?"

"Ivan and the ruins of Anemos," Felix grinned, wincing at how uncharacteristic it was, "There has to be a way up hidden in those ruins."

Isaac nodded, both worried and excited by the prospect of another journey.

They shook on it and headed off to round up the rest of their team. Behind a large boulder, Maris Tairfield frowned. This sounded dangerous. She snapped her fingers, igniting a small flame that followed her as she ran back to her house to prepare.

* * *

_The ship still roiled away, albeit much more smoothly now that they were in southern waters. Most of the old books he'd read always stated that the mid-southern seas were the warmest, but upon taking a dip Felix decided that if THIS counted as warm than the other seas must be cold enough to freeze a man solid._

_Karst had laughed at him, stripping down to silk undergarments and diving in the sea whenever the ship stopped for any reason. Felix finally realized that it was because she was a Mars adept, naturally warmer than any other adept, that she could swim without freezing. He experimented with ways to do something similar, to swim and play with her in the water without losing consciousness._

_He finally stumbled onto something as they rounded back towards the north. By focusing, he could surround himself in sort of an earthen shield, a green aura that insulated him against cold temperatures._

_The ship stopped off the coast of Loho in order to make a few last minute preparations before entering the Northern Reaches, a vast maze of ice and rock. Karst was off the ship and in the water before Saturos and Menardi could leave the boat. Felix stood on deck, watching Karst frolick. She was surprisingly water savvy for a Mars adept. He wondered if he should join her in the water, because they were heading north and this could be his last chance to swim for a long time._

"_You know, she likes you," Saturos said, walking up behind Felix, "Which is odd. Usually she shies away from boys, especially since her parents died. Menardi took it fine, but she turned dangerous and introspective fast."_

_Felix blushed. He knew all about the dangerous part. He'd asked her about Prox and her family and she'd explained it to him with her boot. His ribs were still bruised, but eventually she'd apologized and explained about her parents. Proxians were a hard, tough people._

"_Well..."_

_Before Felix could do anything, Saturos shoved him into the water- clothing and all- laughing as he strode off. Karst started cursing at him and tried to drag Felix towards the shallows before he drowned. He waved her off, not wanting to appear weak._

"_I got it Karst."_

_She huffed, but swam back a few inches, treading slowly. He stripped off his shirt and gasped as the water fully hit his chest. Karst was instantly there, her hand dead center of his torso as she steadied him. The heat emanating from her soothed him, but she'd hit a bruise and he winced in pain, coughing up water. It subsided after a moment though, and he took careful aim. With a single throw his shirt hit the ship's deck, making a satisfying smack as it did so._

_He pulled off his boots, successfully throwing one up but accidentally deflecting one off the side and dropping it into the water. It sank._

"_Ah Gods, Saturos'll kill me," Felix sighed, preparing to dive for it._

"_No, keep going. I'll get it," Karst told him, diving into the water and shooting towards the wayward footwear._

_His pants took three tries, hitting the side of the boat and floating complacently, waiting for him to retrieve them and try again. Eventually they smacked onto the deck next to his nearly-dry shirt. Karst finally arose from the ocean and tossed his boot upwards, watching as water flew from the top. It hit his other boot, which sat on the deck, and rebounded on the guard rail; coming to rest after a few more bounces. She laughed, and he flashed her a thumbs-up._

"_Nice shot."_

"_Thanks," she giggled, "I try."_

_He suddenly gasped as the cold came to the forefront of his mind once more. His skin was whitening quickly around his neck, threatening to overtake his head. Karst screamed at him to get out of the water, but he waved her off again as she darted towards him. He knew he was going into some sort of Hypothermic shock; prompting him to try and focus in order to bring up his protective aura. His mind wouldn't clear, he couldn't do it. He started slipping lower into the water, his eyelids dropping dangerously low._

_He felt Karst's hand on his chest, and another hand on the small of his back above the wasteband of his cotton underwear. She supported him, pulling him around the prow of the boat towards the shallows. He summoned all his energy and managed to focus long enough to surround himself with the aura. His body heat began to return quickly, aided by Karst's soft hand on his skin._

_He was still slipping into shock though, and she leaned down to give him mouth to mouth. His senses returned in a snap, and he reached up to push her away. But with his eyes closed he only managed to lightly graze her breasts before he dropped his arm again. He tried to pull away from the mouth to mouth long enough to tell her he was fine. She stopped and sat back on the light sandy ground under the water._

"_Don't get any ideas Felix," She giggled, "I don't like you that much."_

_But before he could sit up, she leaned down again to give him mouth to mouth. But then she slid her tongue into his mouth, running it across his very lightly as she traced a pattern on his chest with her finger. As quickly as she had done so, she was gone from his mouth and looking down on him with concern._

"_Are you okay Felix?"_

_He nodded, trying to find his voice._

_She ran her fingers through his rough brown hair, tilting her head._

"_You look... green..."_

_He nodded again._

"_Yeah. I found a way to create an aura so I could swim without... without..."_

"_Having THIS happen?" she finished, a smile creeping onto her face._

"_Um... yeah."_

_He explained it quickly, distracted by the hand she had in his hair. She nodded, and kissed him quickly on the lips, excited by the fact that this stranger was so interested in swimming, much less with HER! Karst dove off into deeper water and swam about while Felix recovered, his shivers giving way to heat as he lay in the sunny shallows. Finally he joined her, and they swam until the sun began to set._

_Saturos and Menardi returned, with several carts of supplies. When Karst asked them why so much, Saturos only replied "For Prox". Karst seemed satisfied by that response._

_Menardi walked over to where Felix's clothing sat._

"_Who the hell left their rags on my nice clean deck?" She yelled down to Felix and Karst._

_Before they could explain, Menardi had kicked them off into the water. Felix muttered curses under his breath. He took a moment to gather the clothes, snagging his boots before they sank, and returning them to shore. Before he could return to tell Karst they should get out before the sun went down too much further, he heard a shout from Menardi._

"_Ye GODS! Karst, watch out!"_

_Karst gave an uncharacteristic scream and Felix sprinted into the water, rounding the prow to see what was the matter. A beast, some sort of merman with a trident, had grabbed Karst and was dragging her out to sea. Up on the deck, Saturos was stripping armor off as fast as he could with Menardi's help. Felix knew there was no time._

"_Saturos, your sword! Throw me your sword!"_

"_No! Why would I trust my sword to some farm whelp?"_

"_For the sake of MARS Saturos give him the damn sword!" Menardi screamed, panicking at the thought of losing her sister._

_Saturos hesitated, then reached down and drew out his curvy blade. With a deft motion he tossed it to Felix, who caught it lightly and whipped around to face the Merman. He had paused, curious about the new development and possible opposition. Karst took advantage of this to cast Fume and dive away. The merman, angered, dove towards Felix who hefted the sword defensively._

"_Run Karst, RUN!" Menardi shouted from the deck._

_Saturos motioned for silence._

"_Quiet Menardi! I want to see what happens next."_

_Felix's sword caught between the center and right prongs, allowing him to use the hilt to deflect the trident upwards. Up on deck, Saturos nodded._

"_Good form. If he's got sense, he'll-"_

_Saturos stopped talking as Felix kicked the Merman in the gut. The Merman tried to dodge, but Felix's foot caught it in the ribs and spun it around. In retaliation it continued its momentum and reached out with a clawed hand, grasping Felix's woven necklace and snapping it off. It retreated, angrily defeated for the day, wrapping the necklace around its arm._

_Felix lowered the sword and stepped back out of the waist deep water. Karst was there, smiling shyly._

"_Thanks," she said, blushing and kissing him lightly on the cheek, "I'm sorry about your necklace. I... I can make you a new one."_

"_It's alright," Felix answered, mindful of the adults above on the ship, "It was a gift from my Grandmother before she died. She told me the day she gave it to me she hated it, so it wasn't a loss to anyone."_

_Karst pulled a necklace off and handed it to him. It was a black chain with a little tiny sapphire encased in swirls of steel._

"_Well take this one. It will remind you that you're more than just a farm whelp, and tell people that you're a warrior of Prox."_

_He clutched it tight and didn't let go until long after he'd fallen asleep that night.

* * *

_

Felix sat up panting heavily, clutching the chain around his neck. It'd been so long since he'd thought about it, and it was cold against his bare torso- despite the fact it'd been exposed to his body heat for most of the night. The sapphire glowed, indicating something... something. Felix paused, then slid down to the pillow and thought no more.


	4. Fire, Earth, Wind, And Water

_Long time no see eh? Sorry it's been so long, but I once again tried to upgrade my computer and it (once again) tried to kill me. But I'm back. Let's see if this time I actually stick around, shall we?_

_Anyhoo, enjoy the chapter. Or not, really your choice._

_-Cobaltdragon_

* * *

Chapter 4: Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water

"In the beginning," Kraden read, eyes peering over his round spectacles. "The towers were constructed over three days each, for at this point Alchemy was strong and all shared in the bond it created. But on the final, the Jupiter Lighthouse on the continent of Atteka, problems arose. The head alchemists could no longer hide the purpose of these towers. But before long the dissenters were silenced and Alchemy's power was vested in these four towers- and the Golden Sun was created as both a sort of hub and a safeguard should Alchemy lose control as had nearly happened in the first age of Weyard. The Stone of Sages was to be locked within at an appropriate time. The peoples of Anemos, the only people on Weyard to possess wings of Angels, would not stand by this decision. It was they whose soldiers had crushed the brewing war in the First Age, with these safeguards in place they had no further purpose.

"The city began to seal itself in, building a central citadel called the _Angelus Phasmatis_, or Angel's Spire, and a surrounding wall. By that point their warriors were all distracted with finishing the construction. A man from southern Angara, living in a city not far from Tolbi, arose and attempted to take Alchemy for himself. Without the Archangelica to protect them the people fought back, until the Alchemist's Council and the recently created Wise One decided it was time to seal Alchemy once and for all. Sol Sanctum was created and one by one the Lighthouses were extinguished in an epic battle, with four groups of heroes travelling forth and retrieving the purity of the elements into four Elemental Stars.

"Meanwhile, Anemos learned of this treachery- or so they called it- and launched an ill-fated attack on Sol Sanctum to prevent the final seal from being set. All but five of the angels involved perished in the fight, leaving Anemos to reconsider and eventually select the option the Matriarch had suggested- conglomerate the last fading vestiges of their Alchemical powers and leave Weyard before the seal took hold on them too. And with the mystical tunnels underneath the city prepared, they left to become what today is know as the moon, or Luna, the opposite of Sol."

Kraden stopped talking, talking a slow draught of water from his glass; surveying the arrayed town councilmen and women as he did so.

Dora ventured forth a comment in the silence.

"So... what does this all mean Kraden?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You of all people should know."

She shook her head, and he smiled.

"I see you didn't ask your son much about his journey Dora," he commented, "Alas, it's the joy of teenagers I think."

There was a quiet laugh, but the mayor stood from his seat behind the table. The assembled townsfolk in the Inn fell silent and looked at him intently.

"Kraden, I too would like to know what this means."

Kraden straightened his tunic and looked directly at the Mayor.

"It means with the advent of Alchemy's Return, Anemos' complete powers have again returned and augmented their original powers. The city is ruled by a Matriarch, and her husband the Patriarch. If the Royal Family is losing control then something has gone wrong- we may have saved our civilization to doom another, as it were."

"How so?"

"I'd assume," Kraden began, "That several factions of Anemos have been less than happy with their partially limited Alchemical powers and would have been planning for the eventual release of Alchemy once more onto the world. As such they will have seized their chance and possibly sown enough seeds of discord to try and create a sort of 'new world order' in Anemos."

Dora looked concerned.

"So what do we do? It's clearly at least partially our fault, and we should help."

Kraden chuckled.

"Dora, we _are_ doing something. Sheba may be successful in returning order to Anemos yet, and with Garet there to help her she's in no immediate danger. Until we receive word we will conduct business as per usual."

One of the councilwomen mimicked the banging of a gavel, which received an appreciative chuckle from Dora and the mayor. Gavels were no longer standard practice in Council Meetings, a younger Isaac had seen to that.

"As Kraden has suggested, business as usual," the mayor reiterated, "And I believe we have some 'usual' business from Dora herself."

Dora stood, introducing the next matter to the council even as she was doing so.

"Felix and Isaac have requested permission to continue with the trip to Prox as planned."

Kraden cocked an eyebrow yet again, creating an ever-more familiar facial expression of surprise.

"Dora, aren't you worried they'll try something rash as is their _modus operandi_?"

"I am, Kraden. In fact I'm counting on it. Goodness knows they wouldn't do it if I showed the slightest bit of approval. As such I've arranged for it to look like somebody has stowed aboard Pier's ship, just to keep them on their toes. The fewer people they trust outside their group the better."

Kraden nodded, his question and concern sated. Another council member stood to ask a question.

"Will Kraden be going with them?"

"Of course," laughed Kraden, "It wouldn't be a crazy and wild adventure into the secrets of Alchemy without me."

There was another laugh.

"Although," he amended, staring intently over his round glasses, "I'll actually be _going_ to Prox. I have business there, as I believe certain other members of the community do also."

The Mayor noted the time with an assistant, and stood.

"Well folks, it grows late and we weary oldsters should long be in bed. I pass for the trip to Prox and should anyone disagree, speak now."

Silence.

"Well this is unusual." the Mayor laughed, "For the first time in many years I've not heard a single opposition, even in the face of such a potential controversy. Instinct has not lead us wrong before, and it shall not again. Motion carries, now let me get to bed before I set you all on fire."

With that, everyone disbanded to sleep, even as the lights overhead did not stop. Dora left with the Mayor, and mentioned something offhand.

"I get the feeling they would've left even had we said no."

"I know Dora, which is probably why nobody _said_ no. This town is funny, has been funny for a long time, and will be forever I think. Even after we've rebuilt it it's still as funny as before. We're a silly place Dora. Dora. Dora. Heh, I'm getting to stuff for this old."

"Mayor, you need to get to bed before you say something you'll regret," said Dora, unlocking the door to her house.

They shook hands, and the Mayor left mumbling things about Catfish and Delicious Fudge Brownies. Dora shook her head, noting the odd colours of the sky before she too went to sleep.

* * *

_Karst remembered it as clear as day, standing on top of the Jupiter Lighthouse with her scythe in hand. Felix's friend, Isaac… had brutally murdered her sister. There was no sugar-coating it. Although Alex had not spared details regarding Menardi's cruelty to the people they met along the path to the lighthouses, Karst couldn't remember a time when Menardi hadn't been rough. Certainly a kind, gentle Menardi would seem more disturbing._

_But to be honest, Saturos and Menardi hadn't been the most intelligent of people._

No,_ she amended herself, _they were extremely intelligent. _They were just… less subtle. Manipulation was not their strong suit so they used force. On everything._

_And from what she had heard from Alex, it wasn't Isaac's fault. Karst had chosen to believe that, like Felix, Isaac was simply a victim of their unfortunate circumstances. Like her. Like Menardi. Like Prox._

_But fact was fact, as Agatio often repeated, and he had killed Menardi whether by choice or not. Karst wanted his blood. She would have to be careful though, because she had grown up being told that she would never equal Menardi, would never be able to fight like her sister. This boy had killed Menardi, and Saturos. What chance did she have?_

_It really sunk in then. After so long, after so many battles and hugs and tears, Menardi was gone. Her big sister, her guide in life… gone. First her mother, now Menardi. Karst's eyes flamed red and she gritted her teeth tightly. Chances be damned, Isaac must be made to pay._

_Then, as arranged, Felix walked up the steps to the Aerie. Around him the air hummed with the breath of angels, singing the lullaby of the lighthouse. Karst paused for only the sparest of seconds, wondering if they had been singing since the building of the lighthouse, always singing the same sad song. But then she was back in the moment. Felix had stopped his quest, let moments slip away while he tried to save his friend. And he had betrayed her, something she had never thought possible._

_But then… a second man appeared behind him. The Lemurian, Piers, was with him too. This would complicate matters infinitely more than she desired. Still…_

_She watched quietly as Felix pulled the round purple gem from his tunic. He studied it quietly, probing the depths with his cool eyes. Even Agatio was held prisoner by the Jupiter Star, bound as it was by the winds' fury. A thousand shades of purple and blue shifted and waved inside the jewel's confines like a calm mist, waiting and pulsing in anticipation of what was about to take place. Then, in a single casual motion, Felix cast the Jupiter Star into the pit._

"_I've heard tales of this, but I had no idea it would be so spectacular," marvelled the Lemurian._

_And so it was. Deep in the Lighthouse, the Jupiter Star fell into a small pedestal where it came to rest, glowing intensely. The mist inside dissipated and spread suddenly into channels cut in the pedestal and leading out from the heart of the lighthouse. With a sudden rumble, a narrow beam of light cut through the star and it shattered into a million pieces. The energy contained within exploded and floated upwards, coming to rest in front of Felix and Piers. It flashed for a moment, then became solid, projecting the pure essence of Jupiter across the continent._

_Felix and Piers turned to Karst and Agatio._

"_It is finished here," Felix said quietly._

"_We have ignited the beacon... The third lighthouse is lit... Now, let us go..." Piers said, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed them. Karst did her best not to disappoint his suspicions._

"_I don't think so," she retorted, glaring at them._

_Agatio piped up. "You see, you've betrayed us once already."_

"_We simply can't trust you anymore."_

"_And now that Jupiter Lighthouse is lit, I'm afraid we have little need for traitors."_

_With that, Piers had his sword out._

"_Felix, they've betrayed us!"_

_Karst smiled and darted forward, attacking Felix without a moments notice. But Piers was there, blocking her scythe from removing his head._

"_That's right Felix, you remember now. Mars Lighthouse is in Prox, you've even been there. I think we're perfectly capable of lighting the lighthouse by ourselves now."_

"_Karst… why?"_

"_You betrayed me!" She yelled, diving towards him again. He blocked swiftly and the two of them moved across the aerie in a flurry of blocks and attacks. "You sacrificed another minute of Prox's life to help that bastard! You stopped me from killing him when I had the chance!"_

_He looked at her with hurt eyes. She dove at him again, but he dropped and rolled away, jumping up and attacking back. With a quick movement she blocked him and countered with a blast of fire. Felix healed the burn and circled the beacon, watching her._

_Meanwhile, Sheba and Jenna had come up from below the aerie and were now actively engaged in containing Agatio alongside Piers. They were breathing heavily and scratched in a dozen places, while Agatio was slowly losing ground to the injuries he had obtained while fighting Isaac._

"_Felix, if I didn't love you I-"_

"_What!" he shouted, pausing to look at her._

"_I love you! From the moment we met, I loved you! But now you've betrayed me and you must die!"_

_She threw aside her scythe and punched him as hard as she could. Felix's head snapped back and his small necklace flew off and slid for the hole below the beacon. Without a word, he threw himself after it, catching it as it fell into the darkness. He snatched his hand out and rolled over to see Karst standing over him, looking down. She reached into his tunic and grabbed the Mars Star, trying not to look Felix in the eye._

_When she had it, she looked down. For the first time in a long time, there were tears running down his face. She turned and walked towards Agatio._

"_Who betrayed who Karst?" he yelled after her, breathing heavily, "Did I betray you for saving a friend or did you betray your heart for hating me?"_

_She didn't turn, but rather threw his friends off Agatio and lead him towards one of the towers on either side of the aerie. Alex appeared suddenly and healed them, although his late appearance did not particularly please Karst. They stepped onto the elevator and she stole one last glance at the man she had loved. Had she made the right decision?_

_Felix sat at the edge of the lighthouse, holding the broken string of the necklace and tying it back together. So long ago it had meant something. So long ago…_


End file.
